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Join the Server“Food is the paramount concern of the people”—this saying truly held. Especially in these lean times, when the topic of meat arose, news always spread with remarkable speed.
When Xiang Chen went to school that afternoon, his classmates were already abuzz with talk of tomorrow’s meat distribution.
Xiang Chen’s friends had completely forgotten to ask why he hadn’t attended class that morning. The joyous news of impending meat consumption had utterly captivated their minds.
The classroom buzzed with noise. As various ways of preparing meat were discussed, mouths watered profusely, and the sound of eager gulps echoed everywhere.
The teacher entered to this very scene. He simply smiled, saying nothing, for his own family also eagerly anticipated this very meal. How could he possibly scold the children?
***
Anticipation, at times, can stretch a moment into an eternity. A single phrase perfectly captured the feeling: ‘an eternity in a moment.’
The children might not have understood the idiom, but they certainly experienced its essence. The meat distribution was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, not today; they had an entire day and a half to wait.
After Little Tiger had reiterated his craving for fatty meat eight hundred times in his ear, Xiang Chen swiftly fled his friends’ side.
What was the point of recess if they just talked about meat instead of playing with picture cards?
Having endured the entire afternoon, Xiang Chen dashed off to find Xu Hengzhou as soon as school let out. After waiting by his classroom door for a while, Xu Hengzhou also finished for the day.
“Why did you run all the way upstairs?” Xu Hengzhou asked, taking Xiang Chen’s hand as they began walking back.
Xiang Chen made a face. “Everyone’s talking about meat. They’ve been talking about it all afternoon. If they keep it up, I won’t even want to eat it anymore.”
Xu Hengzhou chuckled, understanding his dilemma. Not only Xiang Chen’s classmates, but his own too, had been discussing nothing else.
On the way home, everyone they encountered radiated joy. The meat distribution seemed to have uplifted the entire factory, a simple happiness and contentment rarely seen in Xiang Chen’s original era.
The atmosphere at the Song family home was pleasant. Dinner was eaten early that evening, and after finishing cooking, Song Wenbin tossed a few potatoes into the stove.
After dinner, the two brothers completed their homework and returned to the main hall.
Song Wenbin went to the stove and retrieved the potatoes. The lingering warmth in the ash cooked them to perfection.
Huang Hengzhou had never eaten potatoes prepared this way, but observing Song Wenbin’s actions, he quickly grasped the method.
The potatoes were still slightly hot. Song Wenbin peeled one for each of them, placing them in bowls and instructing them to use chopsticks to poke at them while they ate.
Freshly roasted, the potatoes were soft, sticky, and fragrant, delicious even without any additional seasoning. Xu Hengzhou, who had initially lacked appetite, ate several bites in quick succession.
Xiang Chen puffed out his cheek, blowing on his potato to cool it before taking a bite. Even when it burned his mouth, he couldn’t bear to stop, eating with enthusiastic huffs and puffs.
Xiang Chen, being small, ate slowly. After Song Wenbin finished his in a few bites, he headed downstairs. He had made a few good friends among his colleagues in the family quarters and often played chess with them after work.
Not long after Song Wenbin left, a small head peeked through the half-open doorway.
Xiang Chen immediately put down his bowl and pattered over. He peered behind the little girl, saw no one, and then asked her, “Xiaohua, why are you out here alone?”
Chen Xiaohua’s voice remained soft and timid. “Mama took Big Sister to Grandma’s house. Second Sister ran off, and Papa’s gone somewhere.”
Xiang Chen frowned. It seemed the Chen family was in turmoil again. He didn’t want to meddle in their affairs, but he couldn’t abandon Chen Xiaohua.
“Have you eaten?” Xiang Chen asked her.
Chen Xiaohua nodded, whispering, “Yes, Mama gave me half a bowl of porridge. Second Sister drank half of it, and I drank the rest.”
Xiang Chen’s small fists clenched in anger. Chen Fang was truly shameless, always picking on Chen Xiaohua. If she had the guts, she should go snatch from Chen Fen!
He turned to glance at his brother. Xu Hengzhou said nothing, so Xiang Chen waved Chen Xiaohua closer. “Come in.”
Chen Xiaohua timidly took a small step inside, but still huddled by the doorway, afraid to venture further.
Xiang Chen didn’t force her. He ran back to grab his own bowl, intending to give her his potato.
Remembering how happily Xiang Chen had been eating just moments before, Xu Hengzhou stopped him as he tried to run out with the bowl. “Keep that for yourself.”
Xiang Chen’s face showed a pleading expression. Xu Hengzhou stood up and said, “Wait.”
He went to the kitchen and returned with a yellow cornbread bun, which he handed to Xiang Chen. Xiang Chen happily accepted it. His brother was truly thoughtful; he had already eaten potatoes, and a bun was more filling than a potato.
He offered the pure cornmeal bun to Chen Xiaohua. “Here, eat quickly.”
Chen Xiaohua hesitated to take it. When her family had ample food, Cai Zhen would occasionally steam cornmeal buns, but they weren’t made entirely of cornmeal; they were mixed with sorghum flour or other ingredients.
Such steamed buns weren’t as yellow or as tasty as the one Xiang Chen offered, but they were much better than black buns.
Usually, those two- or three-grain mixed flour buns rarely made it into Chen Xiaohua’s hands, and she had only eaten them two or three times, always having to guard against her two older sisters snatching them.
“Take it,” Xiang Chen urged, holding it out further. She still couldn’t resist the temptation and took the bun, immediately starting to nibble.
Cold yellow buns weren’t as delicious as warm ones, but for Chen Xiaohua, holding the bun and eating it in large mouthfuls was a treat. The cold bun was a bit dry and hard.
“Here, have some water,” Xiang Chen said, handing her a bowl. At home, after dinner, they would often heat water in the pot using the residual fire. Chen Xiaohua took the bowl and gulped down half of it.
After drinking, Chen Xiaohua couldn’t speak, continuing to eat the bun with relish. With the help of half a bowl of water, she devoured the entire yellow bun, even licking the crumbs from her hands.
Xiang Chen looked at the satisfied smile on the little girl’s face, feeling a pang of sadness. He softened his voice and asked, “Are you full?”
Chen Xiaohua smiled shyly, nodding. “Yes, I’m full. It was really good, and the bun was so big.” In the Chen family, she had never been given more than half or a small portion of a bun, never a whole one.
Xiang Chen glanced back at Xu Hengzhou. His brother was looking down at his book, not paying attention.
He leaned closer to Chen Xiaohua and whispered, “If you’re ever hungry again, come find me secretly. I’ll get you something to eat, but don’t tell anyone, not a single soul.”
Now that he knew his brother possessed such a massive golden finger, food would likely never be scarce. At most, he would eat a little less to save a bite for Chen Xiaohua.
Chen Xiaohua immediately covered her mouth, shaking her head. “I won’t say anything.”
Xiang Chen trusted her. Though young, the little girl was true to her word. When it came to the candy incident, Cai Zhen had beaten her severely, yet she hadn’t betrayed Xiang Chen.
Remembering that incident, Xiang Chen fetched another bowl of water for Chen Xiaohua, asking her to rinse her mouth. If not for the more obvious taste of toothpaste, he would have even asked her to brush her teeth.
He was truly exasperated by the two oddballs in the Chen family. If they discovered Chen Xiaohua had eaten, he couldn’t imagine what kind of scene they would create.
He was no longer in the Chen family, and his influence couldn’t reach them; he couldn’t protect Chen Xiaohua.
Thinking of those two oddballs, Xiang Chen casually asked, “Why did your mom take your sister to her mother’s house?”
According to his brother’s analysis, the Cai family should be quite displeased with the Chen family and Cai Zhen right now, so why was she rushing back there?
Chen Xiaohua held the bowl of hot water, slowly sipping it while recounting the day’s events in the Chen family.
The source of conflict in the Chen family today was none other than the meat distribution, which had brought joy and anticipation to every other household.
As mentioned before, due to the scarcity of grain, the Chen family certainly hadn’t been able to exchange for meat tickets.
Meat distribution required both money and tickets, which the Chen family lacked, so naturally, they wouldn’t receive any meat.
Thus, ever since the meat distribution date was set, the Chen family’s atmosphere, which had only just begun to ease, deteriorated once more.
The two adults were somewhat better; although they sulked, they managed to restrain themselves.
Children, however, were different. Discussions at school were such that anyone who didn’t mention meat seemed out of fashion. Normally, Chen Fen was the center of attention (or so she believed), but this time, she couldn’t even get a word in.
A classmate declared, “My family saved two jin of meat tickets!” A chorus of envious agreement followed, with everyone sharing how much they had saved.
Chen Fen could only remain silent. Her family didn’t have even an ounce of meat tickets.
Another classmate announced, “My mom said she’s going to cook me some big fatty meat!” The topic immediately shifted to the hundred and eight ways to cook pork and how each family planned to prepare it.
Chen Fen remained silent. Her family had no meat to eat.
Finally, the classmates all slurped their saliva and eagerly exclaimed, “We can eat meat tomorrow!”
Chen Fen slurped along, but she had no right to utter those words herself.
Enduring this torment, Chen Fen sprinted home as soon as school ended.
She was somewhat clever, knowing that bringing up meat would cause conflict, and if an argument erupted, whether she would get dinner that night was uncertain.
So Chen Fen endured, waiting until Cai Zhen had distributed everyone’s dinner. She quickly finished her own meal, then immediately voiced her request.
She looked at Cai Zhen with a pleading expression. “Mom, the factory is distributing meat tomorrow. Let’s buy some too.”
Upon hearing this, Cai Zhen’s face instantly darkened. She uncharacteristically yelled at her, “Eat what meat! Where would our family get meat tickets? We don’t even have enough grain to eat, and you want meat!”
“We can go to Grandma’s house!” Chen Fen’s idea was incredibly naive.
As the child most deeply influenced by Cai Zhen, Chen Fen also harbored a vague sense of pride, believing that since her maternal grandparents were cadres, by extension, she was also a cadre’s child.
Cai Zhen’s expression grew even uglier. She recalled the day the Cai family came to retrieve their grain, and the unpleasant faces of her mother and sisters-in-law.
Her mother was somewhat better, as she was her own daughter, but her two sisters-in-law looked at her as if they wanted to devour her.
Later, Cai Zhen found an opportunity to go home, but her two sisters-in-law openly mocked and ridiculed her, driving her away before she could even enter the house.
After the news of Chen Guoliang sending grain to the countryside reached the Cai family, they were even angrier, feeling that he was utterly shaming them! So, Cai Zhen had no face to go back home and borrow meat tickets.
Chen Fen continued to pester Cai Zhen. “Mom, my classmates all said their families are going to buy meat, several jin each!”
In truth, she was exaggerating. At that time, meat tickets were rationed by ounces, and even during holidays, each family would only get a palm-sized piece or two.
Buying several jin at once was rare; many people, hearing that the machinery factory would be supplying meat, would even bring money, tickets, and gifts to their relatives and friends, begging for help to buy some.
Cai Zhen knew there was some exaggeration in her words, but meat—who didn’t want to eat it? Moreover, if every family had meat and theirs didn’t, how embarrassing would that be? Her father was still the factory director!
Thinking of this, Cai Zhen turned to Chen Guoliang, who had remained silent. “How about we go exchange for some meat tickets?”
Chen Guoliang didn’t even lift his eyes, coldly spitting out two words: “No grain.” At this time, grain was hard currency, capable of being exchanged for many things.
Cai Zhen offered a placating smile. “Don’t we still have some money?”
She was eyeing the fifty yuan Song Wenbin had given them. Ever since Cai Zhen had acted as a thief and stolen grain, Chen Guoliang hadn’t trusted her much, demanding she hand over the family’s savings.
Cai Zhen naturally refused, excusing herself by saying their expenses were high these years and she hadn’t saved any money.
Chen Guoliang didn’t believe her but had no recourse. As a man, Cai Zhen had always managed the household finances, and he couldn’t recall all the minor expenses.
Helpless, Chen Guoliang had no choice but to take back the fifty yuan Song Wenbin had given them. This was undeniable, and Cai Zhen couldn’t brazenly claim to have spent fifty yuan in such a short time.
If she had, Chen Guoliang would truly have punished her.
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